TWICE - RAPED LOUVAIN
Stx,—Dr. Henry Guppy's article on " Twice-Raped Louvain " in your number of May 31st omits to signal a characteristic feature of the broad humanitary mind reigning in that catholic community which is—now : was—the Louvain University.
The recently deceased rector opposed himself to the placing on the new library building of the famous balustrade with the words "Furore Teutonica Diruta," on the ground that it was a Christian's duty to pardon and not to perpetuate hatred between nations, however just it might seem to keep up the memory of the attempt the " Powers of Darkness " had made to extinguish the light of wisdom, intelligence, and faith. In spite of the American architect's insistence, backed up by an important part of the Belgian public opinion, the balustrade and inscription were never placed in Louvain ; they were finally put up in Dinant as a " Monument du Souvenir," next to the wall where so many hundreds of innocent civilians had been ferociously massacred in 1914.
The new rector of the Louvain University may now have leisure to meditate upon the irony of the fate bestowed upon his predecessor's deployment of good-will towards tht Barbarians who, in their desire to surpass the Kaiser's Huns who at least tried to justify their action through the pretence that civilians had shot upon them—which was proved to be wholly untrue— burned down the library a second time out of pure rage and joy to destroy.—I am, dear Sir, yours faithfully, •
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