The New York Times Current History: the European War, February, 1915   By: Various

CURRENT HISTORY: THE EUROPEAN WAR

FEBRUARY, 1915

[Illustration: THE PRINCE OF WALES IN WAR KIT.

( Photo © by American Press Assn. )]

[Illustration: FIELD MARSHAL PAUL VON HINDENBURG,

Commander of the German Armies in the East.

( Photo from Brown Bros. )]

The New Russia Speaks

An Appeal by Russian Authors, Artists, and Actors

[From the Russkia Vedomosti, No. 223, Sept. 28, (Oct. 11,) 1914, P. 6.]

We appeal to our country, we appeal to the whole civilized world.

What our heart and our reason refused to believe has come indisputably true, to the greatest shame of humanity. Every new day brings new horrible proofs of the cruelty and the vandalism of the Germans in the bloody clash of nations which we are witnessing, in that neutral slaughtering of brothers provoked by the madness of these same Germans; in their vainglorious ambition to rule the world with violence, they are throwing upon the scales of the world's justice nothing but the sword. We fancy that Germany, oblivious of her past fame, has turned to the altars of her cruel national gods whose defeat has been accomplished by the incarnation of the one gracious god upon earth. Her warriors seem to have assumed the miserable duty of reminding humanity of the latent vigor of the aboriginal beast within man, of the fact that even the leading nations of civilization, by letting loose their ill will, may easily fall back on an equal footing with their forefathers those half naked bands that fifteen centuries ago trampled under their heavy feet the ancient inheritance of civilization. As in the days of yore, again priceless productions of art, temples, and libraries perish in conflagration, whole cities and towns are wiped off the face of the earth, rivers are overflowing with blood, through heaps of cadavers savage men are hewing their path, and those whose lips are shouting in honor of their criminal supreme commander are inflicting untold tortures and infamies upon defenseless people, upon aged men and women, upon captives and wounded.

Let these horrible crimes be entered upon the Book of Fate with eternal letters! These crimes shall awake within us one sole burning wish to wrest the arms from the barbarous hands, to deprive Germany forever of that brutal power upon whose achievement she has concentrated all her thoughts. Already the seed of national pride and of hatred, widely sown by her, has awakened a magnificent growth. This hatred may spread like wildfire among other nations, and then will resound the voice of those blinded by wrath, the voice of those demanding vengeance, the voice of those repudiating everything great and beautiful among the creations of the German genius to the rejoicing and for the benefit of all mankind.

But let us remember the disastrous results of such a course for the black crimes thrust by Germany upon herself by drawing the sword, and the outrages in which she has indulged herself while drunk with victory are the inevitable fruits of the darkness which she has voluntarily entered. At present she is pursuing this course, encouraged even by her poets, scientists, and social and political leaders.

Her adversaries, carrying peace and victory to their peoples, shall indeed be inspired solely by holy motives.

Signed by:

K. ARSENIEV, I. BUNIN, A. VESSELOVSKI, NESTOR KOTLIAREVSKI, and D. OVSIANIKO KULIKOVSKI, Honorary Members of the Academy.

F. KORSCH, Regular Member of the Academy.

A. GRUZINSKI, President of the Society of the Amateurs of Russian Literature.

Prof. P. SAKULIN, Vice President.

Prof. L. LOPATIN, President of the Moscow Psychological Association.

N. DAVYDOV, President of the Tolstoy League of Moscow.

Prince V. GOLYTZIN, President of the Literary, Dramatic and Musical Society of A.N. Ostrovski.

S. SHPAZINSKI, President of the League of Russian Authors and Composers.

I. KONDRATIEV, Secretary.

I. POPOV, President of the Literary Artistic Circle.

S. IVANTZOV, Vice President.