History will one day reveal the greatness of the action which forever magnifies us in the eyes of the future. For nothing in the annals of the past equals the sacrifice of this people, which, having nothing to gain and all to lose, preferred to lose all in order that honour should be saved, and deliberately cast herself into an abyss of distress, but also of glory. The German army thus invaded the country in violation of solemn treaties. "It is an injustice," said the Chancellor of the Empire; "the destinies of the Empire forced us to commit it; but we shall repair the wrong done to Belgium by the passage of our armies...." This, then, is how they mean to repair that wrong: Germany will pay---- But no! Belgium will pay Germany 480,000,000 frs.! Vote this money! As a matter of penal legislation, the Germans have systematically ignored Article 48, as is proved by the eloquent protest of the President of the Bar of Brussels. Yet another typical instance of the manner in which Germany disregards our laws. At Aerschot the Germans provisionally invested a German, Herr Ronnewinkel, who had inhabited the district for several years, with the functions of Burgomaster. On the 6th November, 1914, they proclaimed him permanently burgomaster. Here was a German appointed burgomaster by the will of the district commander, although by the terms of the law only a Belgian appointed by the Government could be burgomaster. Moreover, they did the same at Andenne. The communal autonomy of which Belgium was so proud was thus trampled underfoot. We see, then, that in despite of Articles 43 and 48 of the Hague Convention and Article 67 of their own _Usages of War_ the Germans have shown no respect whatever for the legislation in force. We cite here only the most flagrant of these illegalities, those which any person of common sense can understand and judge. ARTICLE 44. _A belligerent is forbidden to compel the inhabitants of territory occupied by it to furnish information about the army of the other belligerent, or about its means of defence._ This article was not accepted by Germany; she remains faithful to her _Usages of War_: Article 53, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th paragraphs, and applies their principles with extreme severity.