The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-01-04
A FOREIGNERS pEssrMIsTIC VIEWS.

LII MdA MUTUAL, tne CelepTdteu Hei-
man author and publicist. contributes to
a Vienna newspaper a review of the his
tory of the world and a forecast of the
future in which he makes some con-
spicuous mistakes. He deeply deplores
what he calls 1.-The growth of military
Imperialism in the United States,'' and says
that by the admission of this spirit Amer
lea is raising obstacles to the entrance
OF emigrants whose only capital is their
strong working arms" This view en-
bodies the double mistake of assuming
that the spirit of military Imperialism"
is really growing in this country and that
it embraces compulsory military service.
1t is surprising that man who writes
on world topics for the information of the
world should make such a mistake as
this. In the first place, the spirit of
military Imperialism is not growing in
this country. Its temporary development
during the war with Spain was due to ac-
cidental circumstances which seemed to
make it inevitable that the United States
should acquire Porto Rico and the Philip
pines. The acquisition of these ISLANDS
was not the result of a fixed policy of
expansion, but of conditions which seemed
to make it unavoidable. 1t did not i'm
ply the adoption of new policy so much
as the acceptance of new responsibilities
which could not be shirked. Since these
responsibilities were accepted the United
States army has been reduced until 1t
is now at minimum. The spirit of
militiarism ended with the war which
excited it. When the war ended it began
Immediately to subside. So far from
growing it is still subsiding DIR. Nordau
must be poorly informed if he does not
know that the American people are pre-
eminently peaceable and commercial
have to.
Another mistake involved in DR.. Nor
dau's statement is in supposing that the
military service in this country is similar
to that Of Germany He evidently thinks
that here as there it is compulsory. Com
pulsory military service for term of
years is one of the most oppressive fed
lures of the German government, and has
been the curse of hundreds of thousands
of Germans emigrating. If it existed here
it would indeed be bar to immigration,
but it does not exist here. Our regular
army is composed of volunteers. Starting
out with the erroneous assumption that
''the spirit of militarism" is growing in
this country. DR.. Nordau falls into the
second error of supposing that military
service is compulsory in the United States.
as it is in Germany. One who writes on
world topics should know better.
Other views expressed by DR.. Nordau
are epitomized as follows:
Speaking of the future of the new yorld.
Nordau says the opening of the Panama
canal under American ownership will mark
the beginning min of new ". epoch The tragic
cient times centered i'm the Mediterranean
and which moved in the naval ages to the
4 Ata,f, will then be transferred ans to the
element will seek to drive out the German
and French flags floating single points
in the Pacific ocean; then the struggle will
be carried further to the Asatic coast,
where Anglo-Saxons and Russians will
have to decide the momentous world ques-
ton of whether eastern and southern Asia
shall remain British or Russian. To this
| forecast Nordau adds: lone can only
imagine with horror what such a gigantic
struggle of nations and races will signify"
This is true in far it forecasts a
| struggle for commercial domination I'm the
| Pacific and the Orient but the rest is
| imaginative. AS to whether the struggle
will be bloody one or is to be contem-
plated only with horror, opinions may diff
fer. DR.. Nordau fails to note the fact
| that arbitration is taking the place OF
war and that The Hague tribunal is now
| one of the assured institutions of the
twentieth century. From present indica-
tons the international disputes of the
| future will be much more easily and
| peaceably settled than those of the pas,
have been. DIR. Nordau's view of curren,
/ history is narrow and therefore naturally
| pessimistic.