New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-09-22
'HAUPTMANN PUTS
LAURELS ON KAISER
Says Emperor Loved
Peace from very Bot
tom of His Soul"
TERMS PRESENT WAR
ONE OF DEFENCE
German Author Bitter Over
Barbarism Charge and AS
sails Maeterlinck.

The Chamber Of German-Ameriean
Commerce issued a statement yester-
day, said to have been received from
Germany from Gerhart Hauptmann,
author ard dramatist. Hsuptmsnn vas
awarded the Nobel prize for literature
in 1912 and the Grii.parzer IN 1925.
The Grillparzcr is the highest literary
award in Germany.
His statement as handed out by the
chamber follows. in part:
"Wc are an cminently peaceable ma
ton. TIE shallow Partisan feuilleton-
list Bcrgson may call US barbarians as
much as nc plcsses. The great poet
and deluded Gallomaniae Maeterllnek
may impose similar nice titles upon US
after having called us the conscience
Ct Europe The world knows that We
are an old civilized nation.
81 say it frankly: We have and we
had no hatred against France; we have
idolized the plastic art, sculpture, PIC
torial art and the literature o. that
country. For the worldwide recogni-
ton OF Robin the way was paved IN
Germany. We admire Anatole France;
Maupassant, Flaubert and Balzac are
read in Germany as if they were Ger
nan authors. We feel a deep affection
for the national life of Southern
France. Enthusiastic admirers of Mis-
trail can be found even in small Ger
man cities, among the poorer pcpula-
ton.
"But Kaiser wilhelm, supreme
'kriegsherr' of the empire, did love
peace from the very bottom OF his soul
and did maintain peace! Our well
trained army was organized for no
ether purpose than defence. We
wanted to be prepared against threat
ching assaults. Without being boast
full, and simply expressing my deepest
conviction, | say il always has been
favorite idea OF the Kaiser--an idea to
which he chung with heartfelt enthusl,,
ssm to continue to the end the blessed
epoch Of his administration as one oil
absolute peace. 1t is not his, nor our
fault, that matters have turned out
otherwise.
81 belong to those barbarians upon
whom the English university OF OK
ford bestowed the degree OF Doctor
honors causa. | have friends in Eng
land who, with one foot, are standing
on the intellectual soil of Germany.
Haldane, former English Minister OF
War, and with him numerous English
men. undertook regular pilgrimages to
the small barbarian city or Neimar'
where the barbarians Goethe. Schiller,
Hcrder. Wieland and others have eN--
ertcd themselves for the humanity OF
the whole world.
81 hear that abroad they are manu-
featuring scores Of fairy tales at the
expense Of our honor, our culture and
our strength Well. those who arc
manufacturing this fiction should con-
slider that this colossal hour is not
very favorable TO storytellers. Our
offspring is lined up on three frontiers,
] myself have sent to the field two OF
my sons. All these fearless German
warriors know very we'll what they raj
lied under the colors for. Not single
illiteratc person will be found among
them.
"For nobody in Germany has. up Till
now. touched a single nalr or the head
Of any French, English or Russian
civilian, or hes, like the brothers and
sisters Of the representative Maeter-
linck, attacked defenccless victims,
plain, ordinary, German male and fe-
male citizens. committing most cruel,
most cursed. most contemptiblo, most
bestial assassination! I at the same
tine assure Mr.. MaeterlinCn especially
that nobody in Germany will ever per
nit himself 90 become melted t. imitl-
tions OF such actions Of civilized ma
ton"