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ANTWERP THE DAY AFTER ITS FALL 231
city could never be taken ? So when the Germans posted
up proclamations in French and Flemish announcing the fall
of the city and how it had come to pass, people gathered in
little knots in front of them and read them, but all were fully
convinced that the whole story was an invention.^
In the evening, at nine o’clock, some thirty officers were
assembled round the Field-marshal’s table. Here I met once
more Prince Waldemar and Captain Dreger, and made the
acquaintance of the Governor-General’s Chief of Staff, Lieu-
tenant-Colonel Scheerenberg, and Surgeon-General Doctor
Stecho, who spoke Swedish and who has many friends in
Sweden. Afterwards we had a Bierabend^ in the upper apart-
ments, which was honoured with the presence of the Minister
^ In his recent book, " War and Culture "—a work which I warmly
recommend to all and sundry who wish to sound the depths of the socio-
psychological labyrinths of the world-war—Professor Gustaf F. Steffen
gives the following quotation from the Swedish newspaper Götehnygs
Handels och Sjöfartsiidning of the gth October, the day on which Antwerp
fell :—
" In its first leading article in the number published the ist inst., 77;?
Tinier states that it seems as if the noise made by the German batteries
outside Antwerp were not commensurate with the importance of the opera-
tions. The Times goes on to say that they appear, in fact, not to be doing
very much damage and it is very unlikely that the German Landwehr troops
still in Belgium can achieve anything against the outer fortifications, seeing
that the Belgian field army is so strong. Even if all the forts were destroyed,
it was still doubtful whether the Germans would be able to take Antwerp,
for the important factor in the defence of the city was not so much the forts
as the field entrenchments.
" The Belgians were said to hold one of the strongest fortresses in Europe,
they had at least 120,000 troops at their disposal and an open harbour,
whilst opposed to them were only second line troops ; their outer works
were the newest and most formidable of all, and they knew that the French
and British armies in the north of France were on the verge of victory and
must come to their rescue.
" ’
We do not therefore think that there is any need to worry about Ant-
werp,’ writes the paper in question [Tlte Times). ’
Doubtless the graceful
spires of the Antwerp churches will make the mouths of the Huns water ;
the city presents incomparable opportunities for the destructive side of
German " Culture." We can imagine the pretexts which will be gleefully
invented for pumping petrol into the " Plantain " Museum. Every German
regiment in Belgium seems to possess a special machine for squirting petrol
into buildings and to include a squad of methodical incendiaries trained in
the specific arts of the higher civilisation, as taught at the University of
Berlin. Apparently, too, every German column has attached to it a number
of mobilised cinematograph actors, who upon suitable occasions impersonate
civilians firing on the soldiers.’
"
This is a sample of British culture and of the " specific arts of the
higher civilisation." This is the sort of fare put before the neutral countries,
especially America, by the English newspapers.
* " Beer evening," that is to say, a social evening enlivened by the con-
sumption of beer (Trslr.).
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