Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1884-10-04
CORRESPONDENCE
THE GERMAN MIND.


N@%Ae-'A<At'
To the MINING JOURNAL.
1t is not a pleasing sensation pa
kiot experiences to hear his nation,
wholesale and on general basis,
slandered for infdelity. "'Tis true,
tits pity and pity tits, it's true" we
have our Strauss and Feuerbachs.
But, beside that, we boast Of Luthers
and Melanchthons and may, safely,
call Zwingli our countryman. Has
not France her REM, England her
Hume, America Bob Ingersoll 1t
Is precisely from deep-seated faith in
mans higher destiny that we at present
feel ourselves called upon to work for
Americans, with whom, not being nat
uralized, we have no visible tie, except
perhaps accidentally. But yesterday
we were, by one that had not the
same opportunity as ourselves to make
observations in this country, advised
to adapt ourselves to America. Our
answer was-that we intend only and
exclusively to adapt ourselves to
Humanity" wherever we find it in its
purity.
And this, we believe, even should we
have estimated our individual worth
too high, is the characteristic of the
German mind"-to be q servant of
truth and nothing else-not passion
nor prejudice, Not passion-for the
German mind is free; not prejudice
for it is original. AS in the instance
of Feuerbach on one side and
Luther on the other individual origin
atty, swayed by passion, may do more
mischief, than outside of Germany;
yet the freedom of the German mind,
in the service of truth, will altogether
sufficiently counterbalaace this evil by
a creative originality.
So much about the theory Of the
subject in question. 1t has an en-
inently practical bearing. If we COM
pare the evidence of mind" in Ger
many with what we found it in this
country, we find that, while in this
country it seems to be at the best a
luxury-across the sea it is, even in
these latter, degenerate days, neces-
sity. In Germany the much talked of
compulsory education enjoins it on
the parent to insure to the young full
liberty to develop both mind and body
during time when either, but princi-
pally the former, is only fit to receive
the seed of truth, like soil, not yet
hardened by adversity's fiery rays, or
clodded and stiffened by the icy atmos-
phere of cold-heartedness.
1t is not necessary to talk about
that source of all evil, idleness-an
unavoidable consequence where such
development of the mind is not gen
eral principle; about the loafng of
children in the public streets, where
the Darwinian principle in man, aping
what they see in tho worst features,
exerts itself. We only wish to men
ton one consequence of an unframed
mind in this country.
The two parties in these United
States are, as it were, hostile, at least
antagonistic what causes this antag-
onism? tits that each party processes
to have found truth. Is it not Won
derful that millions of men must be
on the wrong track in the search of
truth, is surely the case with at least
one of the two parties ? "To wrestle
with truth Naked" if incumbent on
any, it is on the citizen OF a republic.
You can not expect an unframed mind
to "wrestle with truth naked" you
may as well expect to take man
from the plows.and make of him a rope
dancer. HUGO G. OLAWSKY.