The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-06-28
TEUTONlC DESTINY.


| w. II. Wilson, who next to our own
| Captain Mahan. is chief authority on
naval matters, insists in the Pail Mail
| Gazette that the war now in progress is
a war of races. The Arg plo-SaXon or TCu-
tonic race again is pitted against :he
| Latin. In all time past like contests nave
| been decided favorably to the Teutons.
Caesar, indeed made a temporarily sue
| Cessful invasion of Germany; but he
merely taught the Goth and the Saxon,
| the Angle and the Nisgoth, how to deal
with the Roman legion. Before long
Alaric the Goth was camping at the
gates OF Rome. Caesars lcGiOnS were
withdrawn frCm Britain. and England
became a TcutOnic military colony: nor
was the condition changed by the Norman
conquest. for the Normans were North
men, descendants of tho followers Of
Rollo the Gangcr who dispossessed Louis
the Simple and made another French pro-
vince to be another Teutonic domain The
descendants of the men whom Tacitus de-
scrbcd as tail with long and fair hair,
and with fierce blue eyes have been
dominant in the world for well-nign a
thousand years. They have been above
all other things sea kings. The English
branch of the Tcutons destroyed SPANS
armada, and won at Trafalgar and col
onized all Of the northern continent of
its flag at Kfao-Chou. The American
branch of the Teutonic race asserted and
won its independence of the English
branch, and i'm many hard-fought light
won naval laurels. We give this brief
historic discussion before returning to
Mr.. Wilson's proposition, because history
dispclS the fallaCy Of GCrmanic hostility
in the present crisis. The United States
is as much, perhaps more. Teutonic of
l,aI .,f y,
commercially the interests Of this coun-
try are allied with those of Germany but
little less closely than with those of
Britain.
Mr.. wilson predicts certain victory for
the United States 'unless the ancient
vigor of the AnGlo-SaXon has been sapped
by the luNuries of civilization" We de-
cline to entertain the fear suggested.
The Teutonic race, in all its branches. IS
as hardy and as daring as ever it was.
The German is making new empires in
African swamns that tester under an
equatorial sun; the Briton is holding his
own in India and on the banks of the
ONus river and "the lone Chorasmiam
stream The American has explored
and reclaimed what were counted rs
desert wastes and has made highways
through the Rocky mountains, and has
lOuSHl an lHlcTneClne war IN which
Southern and Northern not only dis
played prodigics of Nalor, but furnished
examples of that fOrttude that endures
cold, hunger, and disease, and fights and
wins in spite Of them. The great Teu-
tonic race is not in process of dcteriora-
tion. The Duke of Wellington was ac-
customed 20 say that my dandy officers
are my best ones" and during the Indian
mutiny General Colin Campbell said
much the same thing. 1t is not from
the downtrodden and needy that our
great volunteer army is recruited. II is
from that great mass of the people that
neither is endowed with riches nor op-
pressed by poverty that the main
strength of our armies and navies pro-
cecds, II is rot an cffcminate mass. II
delights in athletics You cannot have
SO much az Young Mems Christian as
sociation and hardly a prosperous
church, nowadays without its gymna-
stun.
There is moral dcducibIe. The great
Teutonic race never has fought for en-
tertainment II does not as the Latins
used TO boast when Rome was imperial,
delight in war" II fghts always for a
definite purpose, either to defend what
1t has or to acquire what IL needs What
1t wins 1t holds. What it holds IL i'm
proves.