“The world never experienced anything so monstrous and never have armies kept up a resistance such as ours.

“Our enemies combine the hunger and lie campaign with that of arms, both aimed at the head and heart of our home.  The hunger campaign they will lose as the troublesome work of just an equal administration and distribution of the necessities of life is almost complete.  And a promising harvest has ripened on our broad fields.  From the first day of the war, we alone of all the belligerent nations published the army reports of all of our enemies in full, as our confidence in the constancy of those at home is unlimited.  But our enemies have taken advantage of this confidence and several times a day they send out war reports to the world; the English since the beginning of their offensive send a despatch every two hours.  Each of these publications is two or three times as long as our daily report and all written in a style which has nothing in common with military brevity and simplicity.  This is no longer the language of the soldier.  They are mere fantastic hymns of victory and their parade of names and of conquered villages and woods and stormed positions, and the number of captured guns, and tens of thousands of prisoners is a mockery of the truth.

“Why is all this done?  Is it only intended to restore the wearying confidence of their own armies and people and the tottering faith of their allies?  Is it only intended to blind the eagerly observing eye of the neutrals?  No, this flood of telegrams is intended to pass through the channels which we ourselves have opened to our enemy, and to dash against the heart of the German people, undermining and washing away our steadfastness.

“But this despicable game will not succeed.  In the same manner as our gallant troops in the field defy superior numbers, so the German people at home will defy the enemies’ legions of lies, and remember that the German army reports cannot tell them and the world at large everything at present, but they never publish a word the truth of which could not be minutely sifted.  With proud confidence in the concise, but absolutely reliable publications of our own army administration, Germany will accept these legions of enemy reports at their own value, as wicked concoctions, attempting to rob them of calm and confidence which the soldier must feel supporting him, if he joyfully risks his all for the protection of those at home.  Thus our enemies’ legions of lies will break against the wall of our iron faith.  Our warriors defy the iron and fire—­those at home will also defy the floods of printed paper and remain unruffled.  The nation and army alike are one in their will and faith in victory.”

[Illustration:  THE POPE TO PRESIDENT WILSON——­“HOW CAN MY PEACE ANGEL FLY, MR. PRESIDENT, WHEN YOU ALWAYS PUT SHELLS IN HER POCKETS?”]