New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-08-12

geographical expression. During the
endlessly long years of strife she was
the stamping ground of all the armies
of the Continent. A new generation
grew up who did not even know the
meaning of peace, and when at last
everybody was weary of fighting, Ger
many had lost over 80 per cent of her
population, over 10 per cent of her
stock, cattle, horses, etc, hundreds OF
towns and villages had disappeared
from the map and the surviving COM
munities were bled white" financially
bankrupt Almost two centuries Of
hard work were required TO repair the
disaster and damage caused by these
terrible times.
A people who had to go through such
an experience, because they were dis
united and defenceless, had learned a
lesson when, in course of time, unity
came to them and with it strength and
power.
When in 1866 the first step was taken
toward the unifcation of the German
tribes, the cry arose all over France:
Revenge for Sadowal" Queer, wasn't
it? France bowls for revenge" be-
cause her neighbor tries to put his
house in order.
The result was 1870-'71. France was
beaten in a fair stand-up fight; inciden-
tally she was freed Of the Napoleonic
incubus for which she ought to have
been grateful, and had to give up two
provinces-former Germanic territory,
taken from the German Empire two
hundred years previously without even
the pretext of legal right, because said
empire happened to be weak and de-
fenceless.
The consequence: All France howl
ing for the next forty-three years
Revenge for Sedan!" Revenge for
Alsace- Lorraine" while United Ger
many attended strictly to her own BUSH
ness of consolidation and development
during the next decades. Her indus
tries, helped along by far-seeing, sys-
temstic organization and by application
of scientific attainment, grew wonder
fully; her commerce expanded all over
the globe, and in order to be able TO
protect this vast commerce she thought
she ought to have a navy.
Another howl! This time from dif-
fercnt quarter, from across the Chan
mel. Now, honestly. did dear old Al
bion ever think seriously that the Ger
man people intended to use their naval
establishment for the conquest Of the
British Isles? Was not there perhaps
somewhere quite in the background
the jealous doubt whether that con-
founded label, "Made in Germany"
might not after all become somewhat
dangerous to the British trade?
Thus the legend was created Of Ger
many being the disturber of the
4 4 81
religious wa Lord" this ridiculous
mistake in translating an ancient
German title for chief commander of
the war forces, stalked through the
columns of the British and American
papers, and the children were scared
with pictures of these terrible war and
blood-loving Germans, who it is most
curious TO relate were almost the only
people on the face Of the earth who did
not 90 to war during all those years
following the unification Of their coun-
try, but were extremely busy with the
arts of peace.
The lust for revenge" drove the
French republic into an alliance with
the most backward nation of Europe
the country of the knout and of po-
groms-and as the third member of the
Triple Entente we now see free Eng
land fighting shoulder TO shoulder with
Russia, trying TO crush the German
rival who might become dangerous 70
her supremacy in the worlds COM
merce and carrying trade.
The two Western members Of the
Entente" seem to have forgotten that
Germany stands as an outpost of civ
ilzation against Slavonic well, let US
say NATURALIZATION. Perhaps there
will come a time in the far future
when England and France will be
made TO see that they have been try
ing to destroy their best and strongest
bulwark against the tide of pan -Siav-