The Washington times., 1912-06-25
REMARKABLE CHANGE
IN MATERIAL LIFE
OF GERMAN EMPIRE
Unprecedented Development
Of Social Conditions
Most Striking.

The most striking change which has
come to the new Germany IL the un-
preoedented development Of It's material
life. which seems in direct contrast
with Germany's claim for pre-en,inence
In idealistic endeavors, says Hugo Mum
sterberg in the North American Review.
II q German had left Berlin at the
beginning Of the eighties and return ed
today without having peen the capital
In the meantime, he would hardly rec
ognize the modest city Of the tune Of
The old Emperor.
Berlin has become rioh and luxurious,
and every city in the empire and almost
every small town repeats this impress
sion given by the metropolis. II has
been the change from agrarian Germany
to industrial Germany.
In the beginning OF the eighties more
than 100000 Germans went 10 America
az migrants every year. as the German
soil was not rich enough TO support
them. Since that time the population
has grown rapidly, and yet the emigra-
ton has gone down to a tenth part Of
that earlier figure because the indus
trial life gives to the 63, 100000 a COM
Portable support: there are no slums In
any German city.
Change Fundamental.
The change Is a fundamental one, and
this means that 1t has revolutionized
not only the street life and the shop
windows, the hotels and the private
homes, the places Of amusement and
the comfort of travelling, bat that II
has changed the inner attitude OF tie
German mind. That Germany which
seems old-fashioned to the younger gen.
Grafton considered the economic life and
all which had to do with business and
trade and commerce and industry as
something OF second rank. more or less
as a necessary evil.
The strongest, best elements OF the
social organization, the intelligent
boys OF well-to-do families, became
officers and lawyers, scholars and ply :
sicians. Government employees and
land owners, but they looked down on
the calling of the business man and
on all technical activities. Today in
exactly these social groups the call
ings OF the lawyer and of the officer
have somewhat lost in attractiveness,
and the life-work of the banker OF
facturer. and above all the technical
professions, have risen rapidly In the
general estimation.
Idealistic Endeavors.
But just as In the gloNous times OF
the renaissance the life In wealth was
most harmoniously connected with
the life In beauty and with the high
est appreciation of scholarship and
art and literature, this new turn 10
commercial strength again seeks It's
expression In idealistic endeavors.
1t 10 not true. Is the critics hastily
| claim, that this new comfort brings
with II the Vices OF the parvenu. SEN
sual materialism and lack Of higher
| standards; II is not true that Ger.
many becomes uDfaithful to its great
traditions In the ideal realms, because
II has ceased to be the poor under.
paid and undsr-fed schoolmaster OF
| the world.
On the contrary. the greater means
OF the land allow an expansion oi
the Joy in art and music and drama
such as has not been known before
The Institutions for scholarship and
research are multiplying on an un'
precedented scale, and the alarminglI
Increasing number OF books which
appear yearly in Germany indicate!
surely that the new fashioned sport:
have not driven out the old-tashion
ed German sport of writing.