Page:The guilt of William Hohenzollern.djvu/252

248 Yes, indeed, we knew already on July 2gth that France was ready for the invasion on August 1st!

""France could wait, but we could not, and a French attack on our flank on the Lower Rhine might have proved disastrous. We were therefore forced to disregard the protests of the Luxemburg and Belgian Governments.""

Here there is no more talk of Belgium's neutrality having been already violated. The fundamental reason given for the invasion is now only this: "We could not wait," and that, indeed, was the sole reason.

With lying and perfidy the way was paved for war in the beginning of July, with lying and perfidy in the first days of August the war was begun. The sequel was the inevitable consequence of the introduction. And thus again was proved the truth of that curse which clings to wrongdoing—that evil propagates itself by begetting more evil. Government and Army Command were never rid of the lie in which they had once involved themselves, and had to pile up the edifice of falsehood  ever higher and higher, until on November 9th, 1918, it fell in with a crash.