The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1901-12-12
A SPIEL
FOR THE GERMAN EMPIRE.
Paper Read Before the Ch 1uta,quo Circle.


~ ERMANY needs no defense
T before this circle I am sure,
and if it did L should not at
tempt to pit myself against
the combined criticism of this august
assemblage. So, gentlemen, beg you
to regard this as the effort of one who
merely wishes, as far as the time will
allow, to express his admiration for the
German nation.
We regard our German brother as a
slow, phlegmatic piece of Gods handi-
work, as compared to "us Americans"
In fact our standard of judgment, in
regard to all outside of what we term
-"American," seems to be: How far are
they Americanized? Do they possess
this or that virtue as we do?
Or even: Are their vices becoming
advanced? We too often say: "Oh,
they'll get there, all right, they're be-
coming Americanized."
Germany in the past thirty-five or
forty years has had growth and ad-
vancement that is phenomenal, but we
have been so busy ourselves that we
have only regarded it as it furthered
our own commercial aims and inter-
ests. Its military power is the wonder
and admiration of the world today.
Armies, great or small, are, as rule,
sources of hidden vices. They breed
lawlessness to great extent; but the
immense army Of Germany is an army
"'there to preserve peace" by the very
force of its greatness. Its moral
standing outranks all others. We fire.
+quently hear it said that "there is none
like German to obey" and also that
he reverences uniform and brass but
tons. He does in way, even those of
the ordinary policeman, but this only
tends to show the perfect discipline he
has acquired. He does not worship,
but he bows to authority.
A certain amount of restriction is
good for us all. We glory in our "land
of freedom" and our "liberty," which
is emlnently just and proper, but too
many of us, alas! overstep the bounds.
In Germany they have a great many
petty fines for small offenses, but, ex-
acted by honest officials, this has its
advantages. Just to mention one of
them: Playing the piano with the
windows open, two marks in Berlin;
and we all know if there is class of
people that love to play by the open
window in the moonlight, "Bye Baby
Bye-lo," it is the amateurs, who
butcher music. 1t ought to be ten
marks.
"Thus far shalt thou 60, and no
farther" to the German, means "stop,"
and if his discipline rebels, and it be a
small matter, the penalty is imme-
diately ahead. He doesn't 60 deeper in
to extricate himself, but pays his fine
and the next time he stops.
If the Germans love to be ruled, the
very fact is an evidence that they must
have possessed, and still do possess,
great minds and rulers, to so instill a
discipline like theirs into a whole ma
tion.
Germany's great names of the past
and present are legion, altho like
various other nations her greatest in
art and letters are now names only, tho
their works will endure for ages. In
the field of science she is pre-eminent
today, and is so recognized by all Eu-
ropean countries. The greatest names
i'm medicine and surgery, astronomy
and philosophy, and many other
branches of science are hers. Her music
is known the world over and loved
by all, for its distinct nationality, from
the little German bands, which some of
us have chased, lit doesn't seem so long
ago. to operas and recitals at three
"'samoleons" per throw.