Some of the acts of the invading German army against buildings may be defensible from the military standpoint; but it seems certain from present information that in some signal instances, notably at Louvain and Rheims, this defense cannot hold good against the mass of evidence to the contrary.

The signatories of this protest claim that they are in no sense a partisan body.  Their contention in this matter is that the splendid monuments of the arts of the Middle Ages which have been destroyed or damaged are the inheritance of the whole world, and that it is the duty of all civilized communities to endeavor to preserve them for the benefit and instruction of posterity.  While France and Belgium are individually the poorer from such wanton destruction, the world at large is no less impoverished.

On these grounds, therefore, we desire to express our strong indignation and abhorrence at the gratuitous destruction of ancient buildings that has marked the invasion of Belgium and France by the German Army, and we wish to enter a protest in the strongest terms against the continuance of so barbarous and reckless a policy.  That it is the result of a policy, and not of an accident, is shown by the similarity of the fate of Louvain, Malines, Termonde, Senlis, and finally Rheims.

Many of us have had the opportunity of showing that our love and respect for art are not bounded by our nationality, but we feel compelled to publish to the world our horror and detestation of the barbarous acts committed by the army that represents a country which has done so much to promote and advance the study of art and its history.

The signatories are: 

    DEVONSHIRE. 
    CHOLMONDELEY. 
    LANSDOWNE. 
    FEVERSHAM. 
    MABEL FEVERSHAM. 
    LEICESTER. 
    LONSDALE. 
    NORMANTON. 
    NORTHBROOK. 
    PLYMOUTH. 
    DILLON. 
    ALINGTON. 
    D’ABERNON. 
    ISABEL SOMERSET. 
    FREDERICK L. COOK. 
    AUDLEY D. NEELD. 
    HERBERT RAPHAEL. 
    SIDNEY COLVIN. 
    MARTIN CONWAY. 
    CHARLES HOLROYD. 
    FREDERIC G. KENYON. 
    HUGH LANE. 
    FRANCIS BEAUFORT PALMER. 
    C. HERCULES READ. 
    CECIL HARCOURT SMITH. 
    ISIDORE SPIELMANN. 
    HERBERT B. TREE. 
    WHITWORTH WALLIS. 
    CHARLES AITKEN. 
    OTTO BEIT. 
    MAURICE W. BROCKWELL. 
    A.H.  BUTTERY. 
    C.S.  CARSTAIRS. 
    JAMES L. CAW. 
    HERBERT COOK. 
    D.H.S.  CRANAGE. 
    LIONEL CUST.
    CAMPBELL DODGSON. 
    CHARLES DOWDESWELL. 
    DAVID ERSKINE. 
    H.A.L.  FISHER. 
    J.L.  GARVIN. 
    PERCIVAL GASKELL. 
    ALGERNON GRAVES. 
    JAMES GREIG. 
    O. GUTEKUNST.
    EDWARD HUTTON. 
    G.B.  CROFT-LYONS. 
    D.S.  MACCOLL. 
    ERIC MACLAGAN. 
    G. MAYER. 
    MORTIMER MENPES. 
    ALMERIC H. PAGET. 
    J.S.R.  PHILLIPS.