“Our army is in the field, our fleet is ready, and behind them the entire German nation (roars of never-ending applause and hand-clapping in the whole house)—­the whole German nation! (These words were accompanied by a gesture towards the Social Democrats.—­Renewed outburst of applause, in which the Social Democrats also joined.)

“Gentlemen, you know your duty in its entirety.  The vote of credit requires no further argument, I beg you to pass it quickly. (Loud applause.)"[22]

[Footnote 22:  Berliner Tageblatt, August 5th.]

Unfortunately this eloquent exposition of Germany’s case contains inaccuracies which can only be described as conscious untruths.  I have already made myself responsible for the statement:  “Lying has always been the foundation stone of German policy."[23] Earl Cromer, in commenting on this, gives additional evidence of its veracity.[24]

[Footnote 23:  “Soul of Germany,” p. 192.]

[Footnote 24:  The Spectator, August 7th, 1915, p. 169.]

The German Chancellor, when he justified his policy by the dictum:  “Necessity knows no law,” evidently meant that necessity also recognizes no law of truth.  In any case, he remained faithful to the traditions of his country.  Although the German Press is both venal and supine, we shall see that it has done the world a service and played its own Government a foul trick. (Der deutschen Regierung einen boesen Streich gespielt.)

When Bethmann-Hollweg was thumping the table before him, and assuring his immediate hearers and the world in general that the Berlin cabinet had not called up a single reservist before five o’clock on Saturday, August 1st, he was guilty of a deliberate falsehood.  On July 31st, I left Erlangen by the 3.31 train for Nuremberg; travelling in the same train was Dr. Haack, professor of the history of art in Erlangen University.  He was accompanied by his wife and various colleagues, including Professor Busch, who bade him farewell on the platform.  Dr. Haack is an artillery reserve officer, and he was then going to join his regiment.  At 8.30 p.m. on the same day, we spoke to Frau Haack on Nuremberg station.  The lady’s face was very tear-stained and she was about to return to Erlangen alone.  She told us in a broken voice that her husband had been called up.

In “The Soul of Germany” I have given names and dates of other cases.  I do not propose to disgrace my word of honour by playing it off against the German Chancellor.  But acting on the principle of “Set a thief to catch a thief,” I shall adduce some instances from German newspapers.

The Paris correspondent of the Koelnische Zeitung travelled home via Brussels; his adventures are related at length in the K.Z. for August 4th.  On August 1st he was in Brussels and complained bitterly, in his article, about the hotel service, and excuses it by writing:  “The German waiters had all left Brussels the day before (July 31st) to join the army.”