El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-08-08


must not think, he must obey. He must
obey blindly and without reasoning. He
must obey instantly, and without reck-
oning the consequences.
As every man has had this training
1t is only the exceptional person who
manages 10 retain a distinct individu-
ality. The great majority of the Ger
man men carry through Nfe the habit
of instant and unquestioning obedience
to superior authority so painfully i'm
pressed upon them during the years
when they wore the kings coat
Thus in Germany there is no petty
lawlesSnesS, no defiance of minor police
regulations. no negotiations of stat
utes by the force of concentrated re-
belliOn in public opinion Therefore
IL is impossible in Germany for the
government national or local, TO in
terfere successfully in the petty every
day affairs of private life TO de-
gree which, if attempted, would cause
riots in England and civil war in
America within a week
Germans Are Obedient
It is impossible 20 understand modern
Germany unless one keeps always in
mind this universal extension of army
discipline over every phase of the
national life-political, social and in
dustrial When an English boy sees
n sign on a wall commanding the gen
eral public to keep out" he promptly
demonstrates his individual superior
ity to all forms of constituted author
ity by vaulting over the wall He
had no desire to go over the wall I'M
til he saw the sign and then his desire
was prompted only by his Unborn
national characteristic of Individuals
tic seIf-assertion- The American boy,
4r,r,o -f~ Ia DIE f-T, 1T =,
the added freedom of his less restricted
national life, would vault the fence, en-
deavor to find out why the owner wish
ed to keep anybody out. and then, leav-
ing. would more than likely steal the
sign with its legend keep out" to
take home for a souvenir of his adj
venture. A German boy. seeing similar
sign, would obey it without a thought,
and would scorn the suggestion of any
Anglo-Saxon heather playmate to dis
regard its command.
That Is why the German state is able
successfully to institute a great many
social reforms which would surely fail
in Britain or America. When German
policeman comes every two weeks to
every house where a servant is en-
pIoyed to collect from the householder
a certain sum TO pay for old-age pension
insurance OF the servant, the house
holder pays without question. When
the German policeman informs a house
keeper that the chief of police has
decreed that she must not water her
window boxes except between five and
six o'clock in the morning, and that
her daughter must not practice on the
piano after eight o'clock at night, the
German hausfrau silently obeyS. I'm
agine what a life an American police
man would lead attempting to enforce
such regulations as these,
Effect of the Laws.
1t must be remembered in this con-
nection that the universal habit Of i'm
plicit obedience inStilled into the minds
of the people by military training. is
backed up in all other avenues of life
by military laws. The English and the
Americans recognize the necessity of
stern discipline in the army, and permit
their military officers to compel the
obedience and respect of the soldiers by
entrusting them with power to visit
conGlgn punishment upon the diSobed-
lent and disrespectful. But the English
bobby" and the American cop" have
no such authority behind them. The
Anglo-SaXOn policeman can enforce the
law only when that law Is approved by
an overwhelming public sentiment. He
caniOt play the petty tyrant. If
citizen resists police officer, the case
is considered on its merits and as often
policeman reprlmanded. In Germany
it makes no difference whether the
policeman is right or wrong. his uniform
makes him the representative of the
ma jesty of the state, and disc oedience
TO his orders. or resistance to his
authority, Will be punished absolutely
without any regard to right or wrong.
To resist a policeman in Germany means
to go 10 prison.
The supreme influence of the German
military training thus reflected in the
ordinary life of the people. is much
moro apparent in the army itself. The
state demands the complete service of
every man. and each officer. as the
representative OF state authority, insists
that abject and complete obedience to
him is the religious duty not only of
soldiers actually under his command.
but of all civilians with whom he may
happen to come in contact.
Respect for Uniforms.
Officers always wear their uniforms.
and as they are legion, one sees on the
streets of every city the concrete ex-
amples of what the German military
system is able to produce. Mere civil